The Jesus Diet

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Pete

I don’t do well with diets. Not because I can’t be disciplined . . . but because I like food . . . I enjoy eating . . . I like taste. Sugar-free, fat-free, taste-free just doesn’t do it for me. And I like variety. No-meat or only meat . . . no carbs or only carbs . . . just salads . . . only vegetables . . . that won’t work for me either. I like a variety such that even a favorite food can turn into a “I’m done with it” food if I eat it day after day after day. I’ll admit it . . . I like to eat . . . I like food. So that’s why, for me at least, the best way to keep my weight in check, to some degree, is to make sure I eat the right food (and try and get in some regular exercise, but that’s another devotional thought). I think it’s somewhat ironic that I finally find myself living a 5 minute walk away from a Mickey-D’s and it’s no longer on my list of things I want to eat (oh, what I wouldn’t have given for easy and quick access to the golden arches a few years ago).

And what’s got me thinking about food . . . and the right food . . . is a conversation Jesus had with His disciples . . .

“Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, ‘Rabbi, eat.’ But He said to them, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples said to one another, ‘Has anyone brought Him something to eat?’ Jesus said to them, ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work.'” (John 4:31-34)

My Lord knew what it was to enjoy food. He augmented the feast at the wedding in Cana of Galilee with some out-of-this-world wine (John 2:1-12). He served up a massive fish fry on a hillside for 5,000+ people from just five barley loaves and two small fish at His disposal (John 6:1-14). One of His last desires before the cross was to make sure He sat down with His closest associates for a final meal (Luke 22:14-20). After His resurrection He served up breakfast for His friends at the seaside (John 21:1-14). And one day, He is going to host a feasting table unlike any every set or imagined when all who are redeemed by the blood of the Lamb are invited to dine with Him at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:5-9). But while Jesus only serves up the finest fare, there is another food on His menu which He delighted to partake of . . . and desires that I do the same . . . the food of doing the will of God.

Doing the will of God . . . accomplishing the work He has prepared in advance for us to undertake (Eph. 2:10) . . . that is food too, according to my Lord. Within obedience there is flavor and nourishment and satisfaction . . . it is the primary source of the recommended daily does of Christian vitality. To do what God wants me to do needs to be a regular part of my diet . . . needs to be served up throughout the day . . . and when His will is partaken of . . . oh, it tastes so good!

I read this morning in Jeremiah of those who refused the food . . . those who pursed their lips . . . who turned away their heads . . . of whom God says, “They have turned to Me the back, and not the face” (Jer. 32:33). They refused the food of His will and in so doing, the Lord says they profaned His name (34:16). For His people to reject His bread is to defile and dishonor Him who loved them from before the foundation of the world. And, from a personal and spiritual perspective, to refuse God’s will is to assume bad eating habits . . . worse than junk food, it will sap a believers spiritual vitality . . . causing a form of malnutrition which results in no satisfaction . . . no peace . . . no joy . . . and no glory.

The Father places a premium on obedience. The Son models for me the priority it should have in my life. My food too should be to do the will of Him who called me. It’s part of a well-balanced spiritual nutritional plan. By God’s grace I desire to follow and be faithful to the Jesus diet . . . for His glory . . .

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good . . . amen?

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The Music Matters

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Pete

For the sake of unity we downplay it. Hymns vs. modern praise and worship or, as we used to call it, “choruses.” Piano only vs. a multi-piece band. Slow and reverent vs. up beat and joyful. The old songs of the faith vs. new and original tunes and lyrics every week. The way we worship in our different gatherings is truly varied . . . yet, so often, very defining. “I’m of the hymn book” . . . “I’m of Hillsong” . . . “I’m of the Passion movement” . . . “I’m of Jesus Culture” . . . “I’m of Gaither” (yes!!!) . . . “I’m a little bit country . . . I’m a little bit rock ‘n roll” (maybe not so much) . . . but you get the idea . . . how we worship is as different as we are. And so . . . and I think rightly so . . . we downplay it for the sake of unity . . . cause it’s not really about the music . . . or at least not about the music we produce externally.

This morning, I’m reminded that how we worship matters . . . that, at it’s core it really is not left up to our preferences or different tastes. In fact, I read again this morning that God seeks “true worshipers” . . .

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

First of all, I’m blown away that God seeks worshipers. God who needs nothing . . . who is Creator and possessor of all . . . this God is on the lookout for true worshipers. They are the worshipers He desires . . . those He craves . . . those He longs to find. Oh, to think that there would be anything which puny mortal man could offer which would be something that the High and Lofty God of eternity would desire is a point to ponder (and enjoy) in and of itself. God loves worship . . . His heart is set on finding worship . . . His eyes comb the earth looking for worship . . . but not just any worship . . . in a sense, the music matters.

And it’s the music of authenticity and reality . . . the music of veracity and of the heart . . . the music of spirit and truth.

The woman Jesus talks to in John 4 tries to deflect Jesus’ probing into her personal life by talking of worship. Where was the right place to worship — the mountain where her people worshiped or Jerusalem? . . . which was the right way to worship — the way of the Samaritans or the way of the Jews? And Jesus used the opportunity to talk about “the music.” The Samaritans passionately pursued their worship but it was false worship . . . worship mingled with pagan practice . . . worship fashioned after their world . . . it wasn’t worship in truth. The Jews, on the other hand, sliced and diced and offered at the temple as God had commanded them . . . but it was about going through the motions . . . checking the boxes . . . seeing it as a measure for how “good” they were in their “obedience” . . . how worthy they were because of their actions . . . they drew near to God with their mouths and honored Him with their lips but their hearts were somewhere else (Matt. 15:8). But, says Jesus, true worship must be in spirit . . . transcending the physical motions, it must emanate from the very being of a man or woman . . . it must be reflective of the very essence of the person and be offered into a realm beyond what is seen or heard . . . for God is Spirit.

So while the number of instruments doesn’t really matter . . . and whether the words were written in 1810 or 1910 or 2010 doesn’t really matter . . . the “music” of spirit and truth does matter. The melody needs to originate from the heart (Eph.5:19) and the lyrics must be penned in God’s defined reality. We can go through the motions just as easily singing out of a hymnal as we can singing off the screen. Fake worship can be offered whether we’re singing to a piano, a five piece band, or no band at all . . . the creation being praised above the Creator. What God seeks is the music of the heart . . . and the lyrics of truth. Package it with whatever genre of music you prefer, but oh, that God’s people, would pursue worshiping in a manner which delights God . . . which honors Him and Him alone . . . which is sourced in the reality of hearts won by the Savior and humbled by His grace . . . which is presented in the context of His living Word and the truths conveyed from it . . . which is sought by Him for His honor and pleasure . . . for His glory alone . . . amen!

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The Thoughts

Posted on October 5, 2010 by Pete

Any way you look at it, they were there for the long haul . . . seventy years. Jeremiah’s letter (chapter 29) . . . a word from the Lord . . . promised a return to Jerusalem . . . but it would not be for 70 years . . . the promise was literally a lifetime away. It didn’t matter what age you were when you heard the promise, you would be old . . . really old . . . if you were still alive . . . at the fulfillment of the promise. If you were a child of 5 years old, then you’d be 75 when the opportunity came to go home . . . if you were a young teen of 13 . . . then they’d be pushing you back to Jerusalem in a wheelchair as an 83 year old . . . and, if you were a thirty-something . . . forget it! . . . welcome to Babylon . . . for life!

And it’s in the context of this promise of God to the exiles of Judah that we find one of the most encouraging verses of Scripture: “For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Huh? Really? What exactly are those thoughts? How does seventy years in Babylon . . . a lifetime in a foreign land . . . a promise that maybe my children, but more likely my grandchildren, will only see . . . what kind of future and hope is that? So, I ask myself, what exactly are those thoughts? Are they just the thoughts of returning His people to Babylon . . . or, are they more the thoughts God has of returning the hearts of His people to Himself.

“Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)

That’s what I think the promise was about . . . not about returning to Jerusalem, but about returning to the Lord. It wasn’t about the getting back to the comfort of familiar surroundings, but about getting back to the reality of a familial relationship with the Father. It wasn’t about a quick trip to the woodshed to get whooped for their sin . . . it was about a journey to an extended stay facility where they would experience open heart surgery . . . and where the lust for other lovers would be purged . . . and where the taste of idolatry would be replaced with a hunger and thirst for the God of heaven, and Him alone.

The fact that it would be seventy years in Babylon was not inconsistent with the thoughts God had toward them . . . it wasn’t at odds with His intent to give them a future and a hope . . . Babylon was the means. It would be there, in Babylon, that the Daniels among them would purpose in their hearts to not defile themselves with the kings meat (Daniel 1:8) and would be drawn to be faithful to God even in the midst of a culture which didn’t know or fear God. It would be in this crucible of foreign values and thought patterns and worldly ways that the dross would be skimmed away and the pure silver of a people devoted to their God would be formed. It would be in the fire of a king who demanded to be honored as God, that the sheep of Israel would be strengthened to stand fast declaring that there is only One God . . . their God . . . Jehovah God . . . the “I AM” God . . . the God who makes new hearts . . . and promises a future.

So I’m a 15 year old boy when I’m hauled off to Babylon. For most of my life, my religion’s been a joke . . . it’s been temple time on the Sabbath, along with idol worship throughout the week. I wear the prayer shawl, but I also burn the incense to the wooden statue on the mantel. But in Babylon . . . though I will likely live out my life there and never return to Jerusalem . . . in Babylon is where God will lead me to know what it really means to live. It is there that He will reveal His thoughts to me . . . there that He will set my eyes on a future that transcends any place on earth . . . there that He will work in me such that I desire Him . . . such that I will call on Him believing He is there and will answer . . . such that I will seek Him . . . and search for Him . . . search for Him will all my heart. And then, says the Lord, “I will be found by you, and I will bring you back from your captivity.” (29:14a) And therein, lies the blessing of the promise . . . therein lies the thoughts He has towards me . . . “I will be found by you.” That’s the future . . . that’s the hope. God found . . . the captivity of sin and struggle and alienation removed . . . relationship established . . . hearts thirsting for Him alone . . . God being the focus and the reality . . . even in Babylon . . . for a lifetime . . . for His glory.

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The Spirit Without Measure

Posted on October 4, 2010 by Pete

I’m wrestling a bit this morning with a statement that I know is concerning Christ but I feel like applies to me as well. A truth that concerns the uniqueness of Jesus but which I feel is also true of all believers. A spiritual dynamic that not only played out in the Lord, but that I think is intended to find a greater and greater reality in His people too.

The context is John’s response to his disciples who are getting a bit bent out of shape over Jesus’ ministry which is gaining a following. Having been used to being the only “revival meeting” in town, they are seeing more and more people flocking to see Jesus. Jesus’ following is increasing while the size of crowd that John is commanding is getting less and less. And John’s disciples are struggling with it.

And John responds to His disciples that that is precisely how it should be, “It is the bridegroom who marries the bride, and the best man is simply glad to stand with him and hear his vows. Therefore, I am filled with joy at his success. He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.” (John 3:29-30 NLT). And John goes on to instruct them in the supremacy of Jesus’ ministry as He who has come from above . . . as He who has come to testify of what He has seen and heard in heaven itself . . . as He who has come to speak the words of God . . . as He to whom the Father has given everything into His hands . . . the Son being the way of everlasting life (John 3:31-36).

And in this context, John makes the statement that has caught my attention . . . “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.” (John 3:34)

Jesus was unique among men in that He was Immanuel . . . God with us. Embodied in the flesh of Jesus of Nazareth was the fullness of the Godhead (Col. 2:9) . . . Father, Son, Holy Spirit . . . Triune God contained bodily. And, in that sense, God does not give the Spirit by measure. When Jesus was baptized by John and the Spirit descended upon Him . . . though He was seen as a dove . . . a small, finite, vessel . . . it conveyed the unity and completeness of Father, Son, and Spirit in this Man in the Jordan. And so, in a sense, Jesus “received” the Spirit like none other . . . operated in a fashion apart from any man as He, in the fullest sense, was God incarnate. Unique . . . One of kind . . . true statement.

But what of the statement that “God does not give the Spirit by measure?” As a vessel indwelt by the Spirit this morning do I have all of Him . . . or just some of Him. Does God give just a “cup of Holy Spirit” to believers to start with . . . and if we seem to be able to handle ok, He might give us a bit more? Or, is John’s statement a statement of universal and eternal truth? . . . that the Holy Spirit isn’t apportioned . . . not distributed bit by bit . . . but instead, when you receive the Holy Spirit . . . You receive the whole of the Holy Spirit?

Now to be sure, the degree to which the Holy Spirit is seen in a believer’s life increases over time. Unlike Jesus, who was perfect man and posed no opposition to the Spirit’s leading, we sinners-saved-by-grace have the Spirit introduced into a life that needs to learn to crucify the old man and learn to respond to the Spirit more and more. Our old man has a tendency to oppose and resist the Spirit (Gal. 5:17). So I don’t think it’s a matter of how much Spirit we have, but how much room we’ve allowed the Spirit to control. Truly, like John, we need to decrease, so that He might increase . . . but I don’t think we need more of the Holy Spirit . . . God does not give the Spirit by measure.

When Jesus promised to send a Counselor and Comforter to believers in order to lead us into truth and empower us for kingdom living, I’m thinking that, just as the Son came fully upon the place of His earthly inhabitation, so too does His Spirit. He doesn’t measure out an “amount” of Holy Spirit . . . instead He pours out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-18) . . . in fact, He pours Him out abundantly (check out Colossians 3:4-6). The Spirit without measure . . . indwelling this finite man . . . seeking to transform him more into the image of the Son of Man. Oh, that He might increase and that I might decrease . . . that His fullness would be evident in me . . . for His glory . . . amen?

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Up and Down . . .

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Pete

I had a buddy years ago that just kind of had a way with words. He was a trucker . . . but not with a stereotypical trucker’s mouth . . . in fact, this sinner saved by grace was marked by speech seasoned with grace and he always talked about the Lord and life in Christ . . . and he would talk about it with passion and enthusiasm. He loved the Lord. And, while I recall Him as generally a kind of upbeat person, he had his struggles . . . on many fronts . . . and, far from hiding them away, he wore them on his sleeve often . . . talking about the tough times as well as the blessings in Christ. And one time, in talking about his roller-coaster life . . . and the emotional swings from mountain top to valley floor . . . this buddy of mine . . . who had a way with words . . . put it like this . . . “I’m up and down like a toilet seat!”

What brings such a earthy piece of wisdom to mind this morning is a passage in Jeremiah where the prophet seems to hit the wall with the unpopularity of his ministry. He’s had it with the persecution and derision he’s suffering because of the hard message God has called him to deliver. Here’s how I’d summarize the prophets one-way conversation with the Lord . . .

“Lord, you’ve deceived me . . . I thought serving you would make a difference . . . instead I’m in derision daily . . . everyone mocks me. I speak the word of the Lord because You’ve told me to and all I get is reproach. So I said, “I’m done . . . no more . . . I’m not going to talk about You or Your plans anymore.” But I can’t do that! . . . for Your words are burning in me . . . trying to keep them in is impossible . . . it wears me out to try and hold back. So I will speak . . . my voice will be heard as God wills . . . for the Lord is with me as a mighty awesome One . . . and my persecutors will not prevail. Sing to the Lord! Praise the Lord! . . . Cursed be the day I was born . . . why did I come forth from the womb to see labor and sorrow, that my days should be consumed with shame?” (Jer. 20:7-18)

I don’t know if it really comes out in my summary . . . but as I read it this morning . . . I’m thinking this guys up and down . . . like a toilet seat.

Not judging Jeremiah in anyway . . . instead, sympathizing . . . trying to imagine what it cost him to obey God in the service God had ordained for him. Empathizing with his weariness of rejection . . . understanding his desire to just “shut ‘er down” and seal his lips . . . and then being inspired by the burning passion within himself to speak the word of the Lord. To relate to the flash of encouragement he experiences as his eyes turn heavenward and he’s reminded that awesome God is in his corner . . . to smile and nod my head as, for a moment, his heart sores in praise and song . . . and then, to marvel as he crashes back into his reality and wishes he’d never been born.

Now, to be sure, Jeremiah’s calling and life experiences were pretty extreme and I have no experiential context to truly appreciate the price he paid for faithfulness . . . but there is, for me at least, a connect point with the prophet. A certain level of appreciation of what it is to be “up and down like a toilet seat.” Not to be trite . . . of flippant . . . for the trip is real . . . the roller-coaster ride can be difficult. You can loose your bearings . . . you can get tired and maybe even feel a bit sick to your stomach from the constant back and forth swinging emotion . . . you kind of lose your stability . . . feel like your a flake . . . as you waver from “No I won’t” to “Yes I will” . . . as you flip back and forth from “Praise the Lord” to “Curse the day I was born.” Again, I know Jeremiah’s situation was so extreme, but I’m thinking that the up and down experience is familiar to most, if not all, believers.

And as I’ve stared at this passage and thought on it . . . I’m encouraged by a couple of things. One, the Lord doesn’t let go. Jeremiah wants to give up . . . wants to shut up . . . but the reality of the living word of the living God within him will not be stifled . . . the God reality that Jeremiah knows to be true burns within him and compels him to be faithful. God keeps nudging Jeremiah on. And the second bit of encouragement is God’s grace in reminding Jeremiah that the God he serves is “with me as a mighty awesome One.” Oh, how I need to look up during those down times . . . and see the mighty awesome One through my eyes of faith . . . and know again the promise of Him who is faithful . . . that He is with me . . . and has pledged to never leave me or forsake me . . . to know afresh that He is great and that He is near.

My trucker friend loved the Lord . . . and sought to serve Him to the best of his ability. And though he knew what it was to be “up and down” I recall him as always looking up . . . always knowing that His God was an awesome God. Father, help me when I’m down to look up . . .

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A Showdown

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Pete

“This town ain’t big enough for the two us.” So comes to mind this well worn cliché of the old western movie (and Toy Story) as I continue to read in James. I read that in the dynamics of the kingdom of God, it’s either friendship with the world or it’s friendship with God . . . not enough room for both . . . to embrace one is to in effect tell the other to “get outta’ town by sundown.” And James calls for a showdown.

“You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” (James 4:4 ESV)

Doesn’t get much more black and white than that . . . the “town” of God’s kingdom can’t accommodate both friendships . . . friendship with the world and friendship with God are mutually exclusive . . . no working both sides of the fence . . . if we choose to embrace and live for with the world system around us then we set ourselves up in opposition to God. Which is it gonna be?

So, it’s high noon . . . the streets are empty . . . friendship with God has been chosen . . . the time has come to drive the dirty rotten scoundrel outta’ town. And the love of the world takes on form . . . the one who seeks to lure us into friendship with the world comes more clearly into view . . . recognized as a once beautiful, but prideful, and now fallen angel. You’re looking down the dusty street at the devil . . . the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2) . . . the god of this age (2Cor. 4:4). And it’s time to pull the six-shooter out of it’s holster . . . time to draw . . .

“Therefore [because God gives more grace and He gives that grace to the humble] submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:6-10)

There it is . . . the push and pull of our showdown at high noon. We push, or resist, the devil and he will flee . . . we pull, or draw near, to God and He promises to draw near to us and lift us up. It doesn’t come down to how well we handle a “Colt 45” but that we determine to pull the trigger . . . deciding to resist the devil and draw near to God. The power is not in how good our aim is, but how effective His “more grace” is . . . that grace which He bestows when we humble ourselves before Him and willingly submit to Him . . . and in so doing, say “no” to the devil’s sales pitch on all that the world has to offer.

We determine to stand firm against the enemy of our souls . . . and he high tails it outta’ town. We willingly bow down before the Savior of our souls . . we cry out to Him who has loved us with a costly, everlasting love . . . we desire and long for Him . . . wanting friendship with Him over friendship with this world . . . and He pours out grace . . . and He descends to envelope us . . . and lift us . . . and seat us with His Son in the heavenlies.

Resist the devil and he will flee . . . draw near to God and He will draw near . . .

Seems like a promise worth claiming . . . a promise worth pursuing . . . for my benefit . . . for His glory . . . amen?

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Zeal for His House

Posted on September 29, 2010 by Pete

It must have been quite the scene. The young upstart Rabbi had come to Jerusalem for His first Passover celebration since “going public.” He had started to gather a following . . . He had called some disciples . . . stories were starting to be told . . . but no one expected Him to turn things upside down (literally) when he arrived at the temple . . . no one could have predicted what was to happen when He arrived that day . . .

“And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, ‘Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!’ ” (John 2:14-16)

Imagine what that must have looked like! The chaos . . . the uproar . . . the look on the faces of those those who witnessed such a spectacle. But for a small group of men . . . those who had spent some time with Jesus . . . who had been instructed by Him concerning Himself . . . for them, this was the opportunity for the Holy Spirit to cause a light bulb to go on as He connected the dots between what they were witnessing and Psalm 69:9 . . .

“Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.’ ” (John 2:17)

The Psalmist prophesied that Messiah would be characterized by a consuming passion for purity of worship . . . and Jesus was Messiah . . . and now it was time for that to be known. As a boy, a teen, and a young man, He had come many times before to Jerusalem for Passover. This visit was not the first time He witnessed the hypocrisy of turning the holy ground of the temple into a market place where people were ripped off under the pretense of ensuring they had an acceptable offering to bring before the Lord. So while He had seen it before, now was the time to act . . . now He was openly going about His Father’s business . . . now His full character as Messiah would be known. And part of that character was a fiery determination to contend for authentic worship before God. And this would not be the only time that Jesus would cause such a scene and seek to cleanse the temple of such corruption . . . He would do it again on what would be His last visit to Jerusalem before His crucifixion (Mark 11:12-18). I wonder if He did the same thing at Passover during His second year of ministry, as well.

Jesus was consumed with a passion for His Father’s house. The temple was intended to be so much more than just going through the motions. It was never intended to be a pretense for corrupt merchandising of “certified, acceptable offerings”. The focus had shifted from the heart of worship to the “how of worship” . . . from the God who was to receive the offering to the “quality” of the offering being given to God. Instead of sacrifice it had become about merchandise. And Jesus just wouldn’t stand for it.

And it strikes me, that if Jesus so cared about authenticity at the place of worship, shouldn’t I?

And I guess I’m not thinking so much about walking into a church and overturning every inconsistency I perceive. Rather, I’m thinking I need to check my own heart when it comes to how hot or cold I am about entering the house of God and bringing before Him my sacrifices of praise. That I need to test my own “jazz factor” concerning gathering with God’s people in God’s presence for God’s glory. That I need to be reminded that mindlessly going through the motions probably upsets the One who is consumed by zeal for His Father’s house. That I need to beware of “packaging and presenting” my cold worship as the real thing. That I need to avoid doing anything that would stumble someone else from worshipping in truth and spirit. That by His grace and through His Spirit I too would have a zeal for His house.

Oh, to be consumed with a passion for true worship before God . . . to be more like Son . . . for the Father’s glory . . . amen.

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The Best of Lines, The Worst of Lines

Posted on September 28, 2010 by Pete

You know, there are some passages of Scripture that I probably would just as soon avoid. Those passages that seem to put you in a corner . . . don’t leave any wiggle room . . . verses that you can’t just dismiss as being for someone else. They are those admonitions that just nail you. James’ teaching on the tongue in the third chapter of his letter is one such passage.

“For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.” – James 3:2

Busted! We all stumble . . . trip up . . . literally “descend from a higher place to a lower” . . . aka fall, fail, err, blow it. Uh, yeah, that would be me. Not liking this so far. And then James focuses on one particular “descent” . . . the “descent in word.” Only a perfect man never stumbles with his tongue . . . and, I’m no perfect man . . . I know what he’s talking about . . . been there, done that . . . way too often . . . way too recently . . . this is getting way to close for comfort.

The taming of the tongue is a hard undertaking. Massive horses can be controlled with a small piece of metal in their mouths . . . huge ships can be directed by a very small rudder (3:4) . . . but the tongue? . . . now that’s gonna take some help to master. It’s a spark that can set a great forest ablaze . . . it has the potential to be a world of iniquity defiling the whole body . . . an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. And James says, “No man can tame the tongue.” (3:5-6,8)

Heavy sigh.

This “little member”, which I so delight to direct to bless God . . . to speak words of honor to the Creator . . . to articulate thoughts of praise to the Father of Lights . . . it is same tongue that can get away from me and “curse men” . . . to utter desires of doom upon those who have been created by the God I bless . . . to invoke evil upon those for whom the blood of Jesus was shed. Talk about your two ends of the spectrum!

The best of lines . . . the worst of lines . . . both sourced from the same tongue. “Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh.” (3:10-12)

So what do I do with this? First, I agree with God . . . these things ought not to be so. And while I can’t tame the tongue on my own, I know One who can . . . the Perfect Man . . . the One who never lost control of His speech . . . Who always picked His words carefully . . . Who, even when He did have harsh words, spoke them in truth and accuracy and without malice . . . desiring that even a “brood of vipers” would repent (Matt. 3:7-8). It is this Perfect Man, who had power over His own tongue, who has begun a good work in me through the new birth. A work of regeneration . . . of reformation . . . of transformation . . . that, in my life, He might increase and I might decrease . . . that, through the sanctifying work of His Spirit, I would take on more the characteristics of the Perfect Man and shed, more and more, the behaviors of my old man . . . that I use my tongue more like Him and less like the world around me.

Mastering the tongue will be an on-going battle . . . but my desire is that my words would increase as a source of fresh water and decrease as a dispenser of bitter salt water . . . that I might be known, more and more, as a conveyor of the best of lines and not the worst of lines . . . for His glory . . . amen.

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I Saw You

Posted on September 27, 2010 by Pete

Philip was pretty sure Jesus was Messiah. Nathanael . . . not so much. Philip had met Jesus and encountered Him . . . Nathanael hadn’t . . . and his skepticism was fueled by the facts that that, one, he could not recall anything in Scripture indicating that Messiah would be from Nazareth . . . and two, as far as cities go, Nazareth wasn’t anything to write home about . . . definitely the “other side of the tracks”. Thus his objection, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” . . . and thus Philip’s charge to Nathanael, “Come and see” . . . check Him out . . . judge for yourself. (John 1:43-46)

But who had really checked out who?

As Nathanael nears the Carpenter from Nazareth, Jesus says to him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” And I’m thinking it isn’t just what Jesus said but how He said it that set Nathanael a bit back on his heels. There was an authority . . . a conveyance of knowledge . . . a sense that not only did Jesus know this to be true . . . but that He knew a lot more about Nathanael than He was revealing at the moment. And Nathanael asks, “How do You know me?” Jesus responds, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:47-48)

And that sealed it for Nathanael . . . Jesus of Nazareth had seen him when no one but God could . . . Jesus the son of Joseph had spoken words that indicated that He knew Nathanael from the inside out. And this skeptic’s response, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (4:49)

And the three words that capture my thoughts this morning are Messiah’s declaration, “I saw you.”

Seen by the Son . . . known by the Father . . . searched through by the Spirit . . . no place to hide . . . no secrets buried . . . “I saw you.”

And while I think this can be a pretty frightening concept to grasp . . . total transparency before a holy, holy, holy God . . . yet, I find a measure of comfort in receiving these words to Nathanael as directed towards me. Comfort, not because I’m “squeaky clean” and my house is all in order. The encouragement is not found in me thinking that there’s nothing I wouldn’t rather He didn’t see . . . but in the fact that it is Jesus who’s looking. The Author of my salvation is the One who knows my situation. The only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14) is He who knows my groanings and trip ups. He whose blood was shed to cover all my sin knows my failures. It is God’s blessed Servant, He who “will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Isa. 42:3) who knows my compromised state and the things I would just as soon keep hidden.

And so, there’s a sense in which I marvel that He would see me “under the fig tree.” That He would care enough to know my goings and comings. That He would be interested in my walk . . . would take note of my talk . . . and would search and know the motives behind both. For, in so doing, it is not to judge and condemn, but that it would direct His on-going work of sanctification within me. It’s part of the transformation process . . . that Jesus would see me . . . and know me . . . and, as a Potter, uniquely shape me based on what He has determined for me to become.

The words of the Psalmist come to mind, “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways . . . How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! . . . Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps. 139:1-3,17, 23-24)

To know that Jesus sees me . . . how incredible is that?

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The Undisputed Champion

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Pete

Welcome to the main event . . . let’s get ready to rumble! Ladies and gentlemen may I present to you the combatants . . . waging war throughout the ages . . . opposed to one another at the core . . . battling over the souls of men. In this corner, weighing in as greatly over-rated and over-valued and over-used . . . judgment. And in the far corner, not looking necessarily very impressive . . . not loud . . . not flashy . . . not the stuff of macho men . . . but oh, so effective . . . having won every prior meeting between these two . . . weighing in through the power of God and the sacrifice of Christ . . . may I introduce to you . . . mercy! . . . the undisputed champion!

In judgment’s corner . . . supporting him in a losing battle . . . is his manager, the law . . . supported by his corner men, pride and partiality. Doing battle based on the works of men, his tactics are simple . . . set a standard that sounds holy but is really based on what he can attain and then challenge others to live up to it. Set before them a checklist to be completed in order to measure up . . . whether it be the 10 commandments . . . or 1st century “principles and practices” . . . or just a self-formed view of righteousness . . . and require those who would seek to measure up to check off the right number of “to do’s” and “to don’ts” in order to get a passing grade and then measure on a bell curve . . . and, through arrogance and favoritism, start judging them in their failure. The essence of his strength? His secret weapon? The fact that, for those who try to attain righteousness through the law, or any other measure of works, stumbling in one point renders them guilty of all . . . thus giving judgment the upper hand.

The upper hand? . . . at times, perhaps. Victory? . . . absolutely not! Enter into the ring . . . mercy!

Mercy . . . “kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them” . . . the determination to withhold the punishment deserved for sin . . . the set of eyes that look upon those who fail and identify with their stumbling and, rather than take judgment’s destructive approach, seek to lift up . . . and restore. Yes, the wages of sin is death . . . so what allows mercy to do battle in such a way? Backing him in his corner is the grace of God and the blood of Christ. The heart of the Father that not only longs to forgive but to rebuild . . . that seeks not only to withhold punishment but to lavish upon the sinner the spiritual riches of heaven itself . . . that seeks not only to save a man or woman from hell, but to transform them into the image of His blessed Son . . . receiving them as children . . . accepting them as His own Beloved. And grace is fueled by the blood of Christ . . . the atoning flow for men’s sins . . . the knock out blow for judgment’s attacks . . . the submission hold on the accuser of the brethren . . . the basis for eternal victory . . . the ultimate triumph.

Judgment vs. mercy . . . a battle as old as time. And I read in James this morning that “Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 1:13b)

And the warning from James is to be careful whose corner I migrate to. Certainly I have been a benefactor of mercy . . . I have known grace . . . my sins . . . past, present, and future . . . forgiven in full, tossed as far away as east is from west . . . but pride and partiality have a way of taking recipients of mercy . . . trophies of grace . . . and having them participate in judgment’s losing fight. Instead, as one who has known mercy and experienced grace, I should be a dispenser of the same . . . “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James 1:12). Putting down pride and seeking the mind of Christ, through the Spirit of Christ, mine is to view others without partiality . . . to not judge based on some set of rules I think others need to step up to . . . but to show mercy . . . to exhibit grace . . . to align myself with the all-time, undisputed champion in the fight for men’s souls.

Oh, that I would be marked by mercy and grace . . . for His glory . . . amen.

Do you have another 3 1/2 minutes?  Click here to check out Gordon Mote’s take on “the fight”.

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